Folded cardboard specimen container or urinal

ABSTRACT

The collapsible, disposable urine container is formed from a unitary blank having hingedly connected walls adapted to form an open ended enclosure. Bottom panels hingedly connected to the walls close one end of the enclosure and automatically lock together to maintain the container in the erected state. A flexible, liquid impervious bag is mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by the walls and is secured to the walls. The walls are scored adjacent the open end of the enclosure to facilitate sealing of the bags.

United States Patent [191 Flynn [451 July 17, 1973 1 FOLDED CARDBOARDSPECIMEN CONTAINER OR URINAL [75] Inventor: Jerome R. Flynn, Moraga,Calif.

[73] Assignee: Cutter Laboratories, Inc., Berkeley,

Calif.

22 Filed: Aug. 5,1971

21 Appl. No.: 169,232

[52] US. Cl. 229/14 B, 4/110 [51] Int. Cl 865d 5/40, 865d 5/60 [58]Field of Search 2 29/41 C, 14 B, 14 BE,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,003,678 10/1961 Chase229/14 B X 3,373,917 3/1968 Cox 229/41 C X 1,623,715 4/1927 Berkowitz229/41 C 3,099,017 7/1963 Sullivan 4/1 10 3,163,868 1/1965 Steel et a1.4/110 3,309,008 3/1967 Huck 229/62 3,579,653 5/1971 Kuhn 4/110 PrimaryExaminer-Davis T. Moorhead Attorney-Daniel W. Sixbey et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT The collapsible, disposable urine container is formed froma unitary blank having hingedly connected walls adapted to form an openended enclosure. Bottom panels hingedly connected to the walls close oneend of the enclosure and automatically lock together to maintain thecontainer in the erected state. A flexible, liquid impervious bag ismounted for reception in the enclosure formed by the walls and issecured to the walls. The walls are scored adjacent the open end 01 theenclosure to facilitate sealing of the bags.

13 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 1mvmwon Jerome R F/ynn ATTORNEY Patented July 17, 1973 4 Sheets-$heet 2Fig. 2

INVENIOI Jerome R. F lynn .y QM w 2.4%

ATTORNEY Patented July 17, 1973 3,746,240

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 24f 24e 24d 5 102 1 Fl 9. 3 I06 mvmwon Jerome R F y/mATTORNEV Patented July 17, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN'IOII Jerome R.Flynn 19M w 2%,,

AT")! N EY FOLDED CARDBOARD SPECIMEN CONTAINER OR URINAL BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The increasing development and use of inexpensive,disposable medical instruments, utensils arid supplies has resulted in atremendous saving of time, space and money. It is no longer necessaryfor a medical institution to purchase, store, clean and repeatedlysterilize a large number of medical implements, and inexpensive,properly sterilized medical instruments and utensils are now readilyavailable to the general public in disposable form. However, there arestill many medical, labo ratory and sickroom supplies which have not yetbeen effectively converted to disposable form, and among these are theurine specimen container and urinal.

The use of non disposable urine specimen containers and urinals rendersnecessary the extremely distasteful task of cleaning and sterilizingsuch containers after each use. Additionally, an excessive amount ofspace is required to store urine specimen containers and urinals ininstitutions where a large number of these containers are utilized.Although some of these containers are made of paper or plastic and aresomewhat disposable, nevertheless they require considerable storagespace. Therefore, there is a definite need for an effective,inexpensive, collapsible and disposable urine specimen container andurinal.

Unfortunately, the inherent nature of urine specimen containers andurinals as containers for a noxious liquid has discouraged thedevelopment of collapsible disposable containers for this use, for it isdifficult to design such a liquid container which is not subject toleakage or spillage. To be effective, such a container must be simple toerect from a collapsed state and must not collapse while filled or inuse.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved disposable urine specimen container and u'rinal which foldsflat for shipment and storage but which may be easily erected for use.This container includes a novel bottom locking construction which iseasily engaged in erecting the container to lock the container in anerected state and effectively prevent container collapse during use, aswell as to provide a firm base to support a liquid impervious bag andthe contents thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved disposable urine specimen container and urinal formed primarilyfrom cardboard or similar inexpensive foldable material and a flexiblebag of liquid impervious material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved disposable urine specimen container which is designed to beeffectively sealed after use to permit movement and handling thereofwithout leakage or spillage and to minimize the escape or odortherefrom. This container is readily adapted for use by male or femaleusers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved collapsible container which, in the erected state, exhibitsenhanced stability and support at the bottom portion thereof.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a noveland improved collapsible container which, when erected, includes meansfor controlling fluid flow as liquid contained therein is poured intoanother vessel.

These and further objects of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon a consideration of the following specification and claimsin light of thc accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cut and scored blank for the urine specimencontainer of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the blank of FIG. I assembled to forma collapsed urine specimen container and an attached liquid imperviousbag;

FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview illustrating the first step in erecting thecollapsed urine specimen container of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bottom of the urine specimen container ofFIG. 3 before the bottom lock is engaged;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the bottom of the urine specimen container ofFIG. 3 after the bottom lock is engaged;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the urine specimen container of FIG. 3in erected condition during sealing;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the urine specimen container of FIG. 3in the erected and sealed state;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a cut and scored blank for a urinal embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating the blank of FIG. 8 assembled to forma collapsed urinal; and

FIG. 10 is a view in side elevation illustrating the urinal of FIG. 8assembled and resting in an inclined position for bed patient use.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates an unassembled blank10 constructed for assembly to form the hexagonal urine specimencontainer of the present invention. The blank 10 is a unitary blank ofcardboard or similar foldable material which is scored to define sixwall forming panels hingedly connected. These panels include rear panels12 and 14 at opposite ends of the blank, side panels 16 and 18, frontpanels 20 and 22 separated by score lines 24a-g which define the cornersof the assembled container. A handle assembly flap 26 is connected tothe rear panel 12 by the score line 24a and includes a first handlepanel 28 separated from a second handle panel 30 by a score line 32. Thehandle panels are provided with corresponding cutout sections 34 and 36which align to form an opening through the handle assembly flap when thefirst handle panel is folded against the second handle panel about thescore line 32. The second handle panel includes an extending leg tab 38which forms a support leg when the urine specimen container isassembled.

An assembly flap 40 is connected to the rear panel 14 and separatedtherefrom by the score line 24g. This assembly flap includes a cutawayportion 42 which is designed to align with the corresponding cutoutsections 34 and 36 when the assembly flap is inserted between the handlepanels 28 and 30 after the handle panels have been folded together aboutthe score line 32. The assembly flap is provided with an extending legtab 44 which is adapted to fold against the leg tab 38 when the urinespecimen container is assembled.

The bottom of the urine specimen container is formed by flaps or tongueshaped bottom panels 46 and 48 which are separated from the side panels16 and 18 by score lines 50 and 52. A score line extends diagronallyacross the lower portion of panel 46 to assist in the folding of thebottom panels when the container blank is assembled. These bottom panelscooperate with a lock panel 54 and a lock tongue 56 to close the bottomof the assembled urine container.

The lock panel 54 extends from the front panel 20 and is separatedtherefrom by a score line 58. A wing shaped aperture or slot 60 iscentrally formed in the lock panel and is adapted to receive laterallyextending lock tabs 62 formed on the end of the lock tongue 56. Acentral score line 64 divides the lock panel into op posed sections 66aand 66b.

The lock tongue 56 is separated from the rear panel 14 from which itextends by a score line 68, and is divided into two sections 70a and 70bby a central score line 72.

Support tabs 74 and 76 extend from the side panel 16 and front panel 20and side panel 18 and front panel 22 respectively. The support tab 74 iscentrally bisected by the score line 24c, while the support tab 76 iscentrally bisected by the score line 24c. These support tabs cooperatewith the extending leg tabs 38 and 44 to form support legs for theassembled urine specimen container.

An assembly tongue 78 extends from the rear panel 12 and is separatedtherefrom by a score line 80. This assembly tongue is designed to lieagainst the section 70b of the lock tongue 56 to impart additionalrigidity to the lock tongue during the assembly of the urine specimencontainer. Similarly, an assembly tab 81 is separated from the frontpanel 22 by a score line 83. This assembly tab operates to strengthenthe lock panel 54.

The side panels 16 and 18 support centrally located lock tabs 82 and 84respectively which are connected to the supporting side panels at scorelines 86 and 88. These look tabs are provided with cutaway sections 90and 92 which terminate in lock slots 94 and 96.

Two spaced, substantially parallel score lines 98 and 100 extend acrossthe panels 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. Additionally, the rear panels 12and 14 are provided with diagonal score lines 102 and 104 respectivelywhich are inclined upwardly from the score lines 24b and 24f and whichextend across the respective rear panel to the juncture between thescore line 100 and the score lines 24a and 24g. Similarly, the frontpanels 20 and 22 are provided with diagonal score lines 106 and 108which incline upwardly from the score lines 240 and 242 to an apex atthe juncture between the score lines 24d and 100.

Preuse assembly of the blank for shipment and storage in the formillustrated by FIG. 2 is accomplished by folding the blank back uponitself about the score line 24d to bring the assembly flat 40 againstthe under surface of the handle panel 30. Then the handle panel 28 isfolded along the score line 32 to overlie the assembly flap, and theassembly flap is suitably secured to the under surfaces of both thehandle panels 28 and 30. Opposed surfaces of the blank to be secured arepreferably glued with pressure sensitive adhesive which is previouslyapplied thereto, although other known adhesives may be employed.

The section 70b of the lock tongue 56 is folded back along the scoreline 72 to bring the back surfaces of the sections 700 and 70b together.This may be accomplished before the assembly flap 40 is brought againstthe handle panel 30, so that when the blank 10 is folded about the scoreline 24d, the outer surface of the lock tongue section 70b is broughtagainst the under surface of the assembly tongue 78. The assembly tongueis then secured to the outer surface of the lock tongue section b.

Folding the blank 10 about the score line 24d must be accomplished byalso folding the lock panel 54 back upon itself along the score line 64so that the sections 660 and 66b thereof are brought into back-to-backaligned relationship. Similarly, the tongue shaped bottom panels 46 and48 are brought into back-to-back aligned relationship. Now the tongueshaped bottom panels are secured together beneath the score line 110 inFIG. 2, and the under surface of the assembly tab 81 is secured to theouter surface of lock panel section 66b.

Finally, the open end of a liquid impervious bag 112 is secured to theouter surfaces of the panels 12, l4, 16, 18, 20 and 22 in the area ofthe score lines 98 and 100. This is accomplished by placing a glue line114 below the score line 98, and then slipping the open end of the bagover the open end of the folded blank 10 and sliding the bag end down toa point between the score lines 98 and 100. The inner surface of the bagis now affixed to the blank by means of the glue line 114.

The bag 1 12 may be formed of any flexible, liquid impervious material,but preferably the bag is also constructed of transparent material. Oncethe bag is affixed to the folded blank, the has is positioned within theblank between the inner surfaces of the panels 12, 16 and 20 and theopposed inner surfaces of the panels 14, 18 and 22. The flat, foldedblank may be sterilized and is now ready for shipment and storage priorto use.

The urine specimen container may be easily converted from the flatfolded state of FIG. 2 to a locked erected state for use by a user. Asillustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, pressure applied by a user to the rearpanels 12 and 14 and the front panels 20 and 22 of the folded blank ofFIG. 2 causes the wall forming panels of the blank to define a hexagonalenclosure. As the wall forming panels move apart, the support tabs 74and 76 extend downwardly to form support legs, which together with thesupport leg formed by the combination of tabs 38 and 44, form a stabletripod arrangement for the container. Also, as will be noted in FIGS. 4and 5, the connected tongue shaped bottom panels 46 and 48 are drawninwardly by the outward movement of the wall panels about the scorelines 50 and S2. Simultaneously, the lock panel 54 and lock tongue 56move inwardly about the score lines 58 and 68 respectively toward alocking position around the tongue shaped bottom panels. As the lockpanel and lock tongue continue to move to a rest position over thetongue shaped bottom panels, the lock tabs 62 snap into place within theslot 60 and lock as illustrated in FIG. 5. This secures the lock paneland lock tongue together and locks the urine specimen container in theerected state.

As will be noted from FIG.- 3, the open hexagonal mouth of the erectedurine specimen container readily adapts this container for use by eithera male or female user. Once a sample of urine or other material has beencollected in the container, the upper portions of the container abovethe score lines 98 and are compressed together and then folded overtwice about the score lines 98 and 100 as illustrated in FIG. 7. Thediagonal score lines 102 and 104 in the rear panels 12 and 14 and 106and 108 in the front panels 20 and 22 permit the upper portions of thecontainer to be compressed flat for folding about the score lines 98 and100.

Since the open end of the liquid impervious bag 112 is secured below thescore line 98, the folding of the upper portions of the front, rear, andside panels operates to effectively close the open mouth of the bag toretain the contents therein. To ensure the maintenance of this closure,the lock tabs 82 and 84 are folded upwardly about the score lines 86 and88 and locked together. by means of the lock slots 94 and 96 above thefolded upper portions of the container panels as illustrated in FIG. 7.The openings previously occupied by these lock tabs now facilitatevisual observation of the contents within the closed, transparent bag.

With the specimen sealed within the specimen container as illustrated inFIG. 7, the container may be stored on a flat surface and may be readilytransported to a laboratory or similar location where analysis of thecontents is to occur. Access to the contents of the specimen containeris easily obtained by unlocking the lock tabs 82 and 84 and unfoldingthe upper portions of the container to open the liquid impervious bag.The spout or lip created by the V-shaped juncture at the top of wallpanels 20 and 22 allows contents of the bag to be poured convenientlywithout spilling or dripping into whatever vessel is required forperforming analyses. Once analysis of the container contents iscompleted, the container may readily be disposed of.

The basic urine container of FIGS. 1-7 may be modified for a number ofvarious uses without substantially departing from the basicconstructional combination of the novel urine specimen container. Forexample, by altering the relative size and shape of some of the wallpanels and providing a larger blank with rearranged diagonal scorelines, a collapsible, disposable urinal for hospital and sickroom usemay be provided.- The basic blank for such a urinal is indicatedgenerally at 120 in FIG. 8 wherein constructional features which aresimilar in structure and perform the same functions as constructionalfeatures in the blank 10 of FIG. 1 are indicated by like referencenumerals.

In the urinal blank of FIG. 8, the overall blank will norarnlly be ofmuch larger size than the urine specimen container blank 10, and therelative wall panel shapes are somewhat different. For example, all wallpanels are essentially the same width. This is not true in the urinespecimen container blank.

In the urinal blank 120, observation slots 122 and 124 are provided inthe side walls 16 and 18 and replace the locking tabs 82 and 84 ofFIG. 1. Additionally, the upper peripheral edge 126 of the front panel22 is diagonally cut away between the score lines 24d and 24s.

The front panels 20 and 22 of the blank 120 are provided withsubstantially arcuate score lines 128 and I respectively which extendbetween the score line 24d and the score lines 24c and 24e. A diagonalscore line 132 extends substantially parallel to the panel edge 126 fromthe score line 130 across the side panel 18 to the juncture between theupper edge of this side panel and the score line 24f. A second scoreline 134 extends from the juncture point between the edge 126 of thepanel 22 and the score line 24d to the juncture point between the scoreline 24c and the upper edge of the panel 20. A third score line 136extends substantially parallel to the score line 134 from the arcuatescore line 128 across the side panel 16 to the juncture point betweenthe upper edge of the side panel and the score line 24b. It will benoted that the juncture point between the arcuate score lines 128 and130 and the score line 24d is also the juncture point of the score line134 with the panel edge 126.

FIG. 9 illustrates the urinal blank 120 of FIG. 8 in assembled butcollapsed position prior to assembly for use. As in the case of theurine specimen container blank of FIGS. 1 and 2, the urinal blank 120 isassembled in the collapsed state by folding the blank about the scoreline 24d to bring the assembly flap 40 against the under surface of thehandle 30. The handle panel 28 is then folded along the score line 32 tosecure the assembly flap to the undersurfaces of the handle panels 28and 30.

The section 70b of the lock tongue 56 is folded along the score line 72in the manner described in connection with the urine specimen containerblank of FIG. 2, and is secured against the undersurface of the assemblytongue 78. Also, the lock panel 54 is folded along the score line 64 andthe tongue shaped bottom panels 46 and 48 are secured together belowscore line 110. The undersurface of the assembly tab 81 is secured tothe outer surface of the lock panel section 66b in the manner previouslydescribed.

To this point, the assembly of the urinal blank 120 is identical to thatof the urine specimen container blank 10 previously described. However,as will be noted in FIG. 9, the upper edge of the front panels 20 and 22of the urinal are tapered downwardly, and this is accomplished byfolding the upper corner of the front panel 20 downwardly about thescore line 134 and gluing or otherwise securing the outer surface ofthis folded portion to the undersurface of the front panel 22. Thus,when the front panels 20 and 22 are brought together and the upperfolded over portion of the panel 20 is glued to the undersurface of thepanel'22, the edge 126 and score line 134 form the tapered upper frontedge of the folded blank.

The flexible, transparent, liquid impervious bag 112 is then secured tothe blank 120 along the glue line 114 as previously described, and isinserted within the enclosure formed by the flat blank. Both the urinespecimen container and the urinal may be provided with graduated indicia138 along one side panel thereof to provide an indication of the liquidvolume container within the liquid impervious bag.

The collapsed urinal of FIG. 9 is assembled for use in the same manneras the urine specimen container illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, andthe bottom locking structure of the urinal is identical in operation tothat of the urine specimen container. The outer configuration of theerected urinal is slightly different from that of the urine specimencontainer in that the front wall of the urinal tapers downwardly to apoint 140 in FIG. 9 and as the lock panel 54 moves rearwardly, the forward portion of the urinal below th point 140 inclines rearwardly,pivoting about the arcuate score lines 128 and 130. The urinal in itserected configuration may sit in a stable vertical position resting onlegs 38, 74 and 76, or it may rest in a stable, inclined positionsupported on legs 74, 76 and apex point 140 as shown in FIG. 10. In thisinclined position, the urinal may be easily employed by a patientconfined to a bed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novel urinespecimen container and urinal of the present invention may beeconomically formed from disposable material and may be folded flat forshipment and storage. However, the substantially self locking action ofthe bottom section of both the urine specimen container and urinal makethese containers extremely simple to erect and use. This, combined withthe top locking feature of the urine specimen container adapts thecontainer for shipment from a use location to a location where analysisof the container contents is to be accomplished.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that a disposablecontainer constructed in accordance with the present invention may beused to contain a variety of objects or substances, particularly whereit is advantageous to hold and transport the contents in a sealed andlocked condition.

I claim:

1. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising a unitary bodyincluding wall means adapted to form an open ended enclosure when saidcontainer is erected and a flat unit when said container is collapsed,said wall means including a plurality of hingedly connected wall panels,aid wall panels being provided with at least one score line spaced fromand extending substantially parallel to the peripheral edges of saidwall panels adjacent the open end of said enclosure, and bottom panelmeans hingedly connected to one end of said wall means and adapted toclose one end of said open ended enclosure when said container iserected, said bottom panel means including two lock portions providedwith cooperative locking means operative when said container is erectedto lock said bottom panel means in position across one open end of saidenclosure to hold said container in the erected state, and

a flexible, liquid impervious bag having an open end secured to saidwall panels and mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by saidwall means, the portions of said wall panels above said score line beingfoldable over said score line to close the open end of said liquidimpervious bag.

2. The collapsible disposable urine container of claim 1 wherein toplocking means are mounted upon said wall panels, said top locking meansbeing adapted to hold the portions of said wall panels above said scoreline folded over said score line to lock said liquid impervious bag inthe closed position.

3. The collapsible disposable urine container of claim 2 wherein theopen end of said liquid impervious bag is adhered to the outer surfacesof said wall panels in proximity to said core line.

4. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising a unitary bodyincluding wall means adapted to form an open ended enclosure when saidcontainer is erected and a flat unit when said container is collapsed,said wall means including at least six hingedly connected panels formingfirst and second hingedly connected front wall panels, first and secondhingedly connected rear wall panels, a first sidewall panel hingedlyconnected between said first front and rear wall panels and a secondsidewall panel hingedly connected between said second front and rearwall panels, said first and second front, side and rear wall'panelsbeing oppositely disposed but substantially aligned when said containeris collapsed and adapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosurewhen said container is erected, bottom panel means hingedly connected toone end of said wall means and adapted to close one end of said openended enclosure when said container is erected, said bottom panel meansincluding two lock, portions provided with cooperative locking meansoperative when said container is erected to lock said bottom panel meansin position across one end of said enclosure to hold said container inthe erected state, and a flexible, liquid impervious bag formed oftransparent material and having an open end secured to said wall panels,said bag being mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by saidwall means and said first and second sidewall panels being provided withsubstantially aligned openings to permit observation of the contents ofsaid bag.

5. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising a unitary bodyincluding wall means adapted to form an open ended enclosure when saidcontainer is erected and a flat unit when said container is collapsed,said wall means including at least six hingedly connected panels formingfirst and second hingedly connected front wall panels, first and secondhingedly connected rear wall panels, a first side wall panel hingedlyconnected between said first front and rear wall panels and a secondside wall panel hingedly connected between said second front and rearwall panels, said first and second front, side and rear wall panelsbeing oppositely disposed but substantially aligned when said containeris collapsed and adapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosurewhen said container is erected, bottom panel means hingedly connected toone end of said wall means and adapted to close one end of said openended enclosure when said container is erected, said bottom panel meansincluding two lock portions provided with cooperative locking meansoperative when said container is erected to lock said bottom panel meansin position across one end of said enclosure to hold said container inthe erected state, a handle extending from between said first and secondrear wall panels and support legs extending beneath said bottom panelmeans when said container is in the erected state, said'support legsincluding a first support leg positioned at the juncture of said firstand second rear wall panels and second and third support legs positionedat the junctures between said first side wall and front wall panels andsaid second side wall and front wall panels respectively, and a flexibleliquid impervious bag having an open end secured to said wall panels,said bag being mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by saidwall means.

6. The collapsible, disposable urine container of claim 1 wherein saidwall means include at least six hingedly connected panels forming firstand second hingedly connected front wall panels, first and secondhingedly connected rear wall panels, a first sidewall panel hingedlyconnected between said first front and rear wall panels and a secondside wall panel hingedly connected between said second from and rearwall panels, said first and second front, side and rear wall panelsbeing oppositely disposed but substantially aligned when said containeris collapsed and adapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosurewhen said container is erected, said score line constituting ahorizontal score line spaced from and extending substantially parallelto the peripheral edges of said wall panels adjacent the open end ofsaid enclosure, said first and second front wall panels each beingprovided with a score line extending diagonally away from a point onsaid horizontal score line at the juncture therebetween and said firstand second rear wall panels each being provided with a score lineextending diagonally away from a point on said horizontal score line atthe juncture therebetween, said diagonally extending score linesoperating to permit the portions of said wall panels above saidhorizontal score line to be compressed together and folded fiat oversaid horizontal score line to close the open end of said liquidimpervious bag.

7. The collapsible disposable urine container of claim 6 wherein toplocking means adapted to hold the portions of said wall panels abovesaid horizontal score line folded together are provided upon saidsidewall panels, said top locking means including a locking tab on eachsidewall panel having a locking slot formed therein for engagement withthe locking slot on the opposite locking tab, said locking tabs beingadapted to be folded upwardly around, and engaged above the foldedportions of said wall panels,

8. A multisided collapsible unit erectable by the application ofoppositely directed compressive forces on hinged connections of saidunit when in a collapsed condition to form an open ended enclosurehaving a locked bottom arrangement which provides a closed end to saidenclosure comprising a unitary body including wall means adapted to formsaid open ended enclosure when said unit is erected and a flat unit whencollapsed, said wall means including a plurality of hingedly connectedwall panels and a plurality of bottom panel means hingedly connected toone end of said wall means and adapted to close one end of said openended enclosure when said unit is erected, said bottom panel meansincluding at least a pair of bottom flaps opposite to each other andpermanently secured together to bridge one end of said enclosure whensaid unit is erected, and at least a pair of oppositely positioned lockportions provided with cooperative locking means engageable andoperative when said unit is erected to lock said bottom panel means inposition across one open end of said enclosure to hold said collapsibleunit in the erected state.

9. The multisided collapsible unit of claim 8 wherein said oppositelypositioned lock portions are dimensioned to move across said bridgingbottom flaps to meet and engage in overlapping relationship to saidbottom flaps.

10. The multisided collapsible unit of claim 9 wherein said wall meansinclude at least six hingedly connected panels forming first and secondhingedly connected front wall panels, first and second hingedlyconnected rear wall panels, a first side wall panel hingedly connectedbetween said first front and rear wall panels and a second side wallpanel hingedly connected between said second front and rear wall panels,said first and second front, side and rear wall panels being oppositelydisposed but substantially aligned when said unit is collapsed andadapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosure when said unit iserected, the bottom flaps of said bottom panel means including a firstbottom flap extending from said first side wall panel, a second bottomflap extending from said second side wall panel in substantial alignmentwith said first bottom flap, portions of the adjacent surfaces of saidfirst and second bottom flaps being joined to cause said flaps to bridgethe space between said side wall panels when said unit is erected, andsaid oppositely positioned lock portions including a first lock portionextending from said wall means on one side of said joined first andsecond bottom flaps and a second lock portion extending from said wallmeans on the side of said first and second joined bottom flaps oppositeto said first lock portion.

11. The collapsible, disposable urine container of claim 2 wherein saidlocking means includes a projecting locking member extending from saidfirst lock portion and a locking member receiving slot formed in saidlock portion to receive said locking member when the container iserected.

12. The multisided collapsible unit of claim 7 wherein includes a liquidimpervious bag having an open end secured to said wall panels adjacentthe edges of said wall panels which are opposite to said bottom panelmeans.

13. A hexagonal container comprising a unitary body erectable to form alocked bottom arrangement by application of oppositely directedcompressive forces on the fold edges of said container when in acollapsed condition, said container, in its collapsed condition,including six wall panels hingedly connected to form first and secondfront wall panels, first and second rear wall panels, a first side wallpanel connected between said first front and rear wall panels, and asecond side wall panel connected between said second front and rear wallpanels,

a bottom forming means including a first tongue shaped bottom panelhingedly connected to said first side wall panel, said first bottompanel being scored diagonally below its mid portion, a second tongueshaped bottom panel hingedly connected to said second side wall panel, aportion of said second bottom panel secured to a portion of said firstbottom panel,

a first lock portion with a tongue-receiving slot, said first lockportion vertically scored down its middle and hingedly connected to saidfirst and second front wall panels,

a second lock portion with a tongue, said second lock portion verticallyscored down it middle and hingedly connected to said first and secondrear wall panels,

said first and second lock portions being dimensioned to overlap saidsecured bottom panels when said container is erected and actuated tolock said lock portions together,

a liquid impervious bag interiorly placed in said container with theopen end of said bag secured to the upper portions of said wall panels,

a top sealing means whereby at least one score line is spaced acrosssaid wall panels substantially parallel near the peripheral edges of theopen top of said container, the portions of said wall panels above saidscore line being foldable over said score line to close said open top,

whereby said folded over portions are secured by locking tabs hingedlymounted within said side wall panels when said locking tabs are swung upand interlocked around said folded over portions.

* i i i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE CERTlFlCATE OF CORECTION Patent No.3,746,240 Dated July 17, 1973 Inventor(s) JEROME R. -FLYNN It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid. Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 7, line 20, after "panels,", "aid" should read said line 46,after "to said", "core," should read" score Column 10, line 7, "claim2", should read H claim 10 line 9, after "in said", insert second I line12, "claim 7", should read claim 9 H line 13, before "includes";"wherein" should read which Signed and sealed this 22nd day of January1974.

(SEAL Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETCHERQJR. RENE D. 'I EUTMEYER Attesting Officer ActingCommissioner of Patents

1. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising a unitary bodyincluding wall means adapted to form an open ended enclosure when saidcontainer is erected and a flat unit when said container is collapsed,said wall means including a plurality of hingedly connected wall panels,aid wall panels being provided with at least one score line spaced fromand extending substantially parallel to the peripheral edges of saidwall panels adjacent the open end of said enclosure, and bottom panelmeans hingedly connected to one end of said wall means and adapted toclose one end of said open ended enclosure when said container iserected, said bottom panel means including two lock portions providedwith cooperative locking means operative when said container is erectedto lock said bottom panel means in position across one open end of saidenclosure to hold said container in the erected state, and a flexible,liquid impervious bag having an open end secured to said wall panels andmounted for reception in the enclosure formed by said wall means, theportions of said wall panels above said score line being foldable oversaid score line to close the open end of said liquid impervious bag. 2.The collapsible disposable urine container of claim 1 wherein toplocking means are mounted upon said wall panels, said top locking meansbeing adapted to hold the portions of said wall panels above said scoreline folded over said score line to lock said liquid impervious bag inthe closed position.
 3. The collapsible disposable urine container ofclaim 2 wherein the open end of said liquid impervious bag is adhered tothe outer surfaces of said wall panels in proximity to said core line.4. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising a unitary bodyincluding wall means adapted to form an open ended enclosure when saidcontainer is erected and a flat unit when said container is collapsed,said wall means including at least six hingedly connected panels formingfirst and second hingedly connected front wall panels, first and secondhingedly connected rear wall panels, a first sidewall panel hingedlyconnected between said first front and rear wall panels and a secondsidewall panel hingedly connected between said second front and rearwall panels, said first and second front, side and rear wall panelsbeing oppositely disposed but substantially aligned when said containeris collapsed and adapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosurewhen said container is erected, bottom panel means hingedly connected toone end of said wall means and adapted to close one end of said openended enclosure when said container is erected, said bottom panel meansincluding two lock portions provided with cooperative locking meansoperative when said container is erected to lock said bottom panel meansin position across one end of said enclosure to hold said container inthe erected state, and a flexible, liquid impervious bag formed oftransparent material and having an open end secured to said wall panels,said bag being mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by saidwall means and said first and second sidewall panels being provided withsubstantially aligned openings to permit observation of the contents ofsaid bag.
 5. A collapsible disposable urine container comprising aunitary body including wall means adapted to form an open endedenclosure when said container is erected and a flat unit when saidcontainer is collapsed, said wall means including at least six hingedlyconnected panels forming first and second hingedly connected front wallpanels, first and second hingedly connected rear wall panels, a firstside wall panel hingedly connected between said first front and rearwall panels and a second side wall panel hingedly connected between saidsecond front and rear wall panels, said first and second front, side andrear wall panels being oppositely disposed but substantially alignedwhen said container is collapsed and adapted to form a substantiallyhexagonal enclosure when said container is erected, bottom panel meanshingedly connected to one end of said wall means and adapted to closeone end of said open ended enclosure when said container is erected,said bottom panel means including two lock portions provided withcooperative locking means operative when said container is erected tolock said bottom panel means in position across one end of saidenclosure to hold said container in the erected state, a handleextending from between said first and second rear wall panels andsupport legs extending beneath said bottom panel means when saidcontainer is in the erected state, said support legs including a firstsupport leg positioned at the juncture of said first and second rearwall panels and second and third support legs positioned at thejunctures between said first side wall and front wall panels and saidsecond side wall and front wall panels respectively, and a flexibleliquid impervious bag having an open end secured to said wall panels,said bag being mounted for reception in the enclosure formed by saidwall means.
 6. The collapsible, disposable urine container of claim 1wherein said wall means include at least six hingedly connected panelsforming first and second hingedly connected front wall panels, first andsecond hingedly connected rear wall panels, a firSt sidewall panelhingedly connected between said first front and rear wall panels and asecond side wall panel hingedly connected between said second front andrear wall panels, said first and second front, side and rear wall panelsbeing oppositely disposed but substantially aligned when said containeris collapsed and adapted to form a substantially hexagonal enclosurewhen said container is erected, said score line constituting ahorizontal score line spaced from and extending substantially parallelto the peripheral edges of said wall panels adjacent the open end ofsaid enclosure, said first and second front wall panels each beingprovided with a score line extending diagonally away from a point onsaid horizontal score line at the juncture therebetween and said firstand second rear wall panels each being provided with a score lineextending diagonally away from a point on said horizontal score line atthe juncture therebetween, said diagonally extending score linesoperating to permit the portions of said wall panels above saidhorizontal score line to be compressed together and folded flat oversaid horizontal score line to close the open end of said liquidimpervious bag.
 7. The collapsible disposable urine container of claim 6wherein top locking means adapted to hold the portions of said wallpanels above said horizontal score line folded together are providedupon said sidewall panels, said top locking means including a lockingtab on each sidewall panel having a locking slot formed therein forengagement with the locking slot on the opposite locking tab, saidlocking tabs being adapted to be folded upwardly around, and engagedabove the folded portions of said wall panels.
 8. A multisidedcollapsible unit erectable by the application of oppositely directedcompressive forces on hinged connections of said unit when in acollapsed condition to form an open ended enclosure having a lockedbottom arrangement which provides a closed end to said enclosurecomprising a unitary body including wall means adapted to form said openended enclosure when said unit is erected and a flat unit whencollapsed, said wall means including a plurality of hingedly connectedwall panels and a plurality of bottom panel means hingedly connected toone end of said wall means and adapted to close one end of said openended enclosure when said unit is erected, said bottom panel meansincluding at least a pair of bottom flaps opposite to each other andpermanently secured together to bridge one end of said enclosure whensaid unit is erected, and at least a pair of oppositely positioned lockportions provided with cooperative locking means engageable andoperative when said unit is erected to lock said bottom panel means inposition across one open end of said enclosure to hold said collapsibleunit in the erected state.
 9. The multisided collapsible unit of claim 8wherein said oppositely positioned lock portions are dimensioned to moveacross said bridging bottom flaps to meet and engage in overlappingrelationship to said bottom flaps.
 10. The multisided collapsible unitof claim 9 wherein said wall means include at least six hingedlyconnected panels forming first and second hingedly connected front wallpanels, first and second hingedly connected rear wall panels, a firstside wall panel hingedly connected between said first front and rearwall panels and a second side wall panel hingedly connected between saidsecond front and rear wall panels, said first and second front, side andrear wall panels being oppositely disposed but substantially alignedwhen said unit is collapsed and adapted to form a substantiallyhexagonal enclosure when said unit is erected, the bottom flaps of saidbottom panel means including a first bottom flap extending from saidfirst side wall panel, a second bottom flap extending from said secondside wall panel in substantial alignment with said first bottom flap,portions of the adjacent surfaces of said first and second bottom flapsbeing joined to cause said flaps to bridge the space between said sidewall panels when said unit is erected, and said oppositely positionedlock portions including a first lock portion extending from said wallmeans on one side of said joined first and second bottom flaps and asecond lock portion extending from said wall means on the side of saidfirst and second joined bottom flaps opposite to said first lockportion.
 11. The collapsible, disposable urine container of claim 2wherein said locking means includes a projecting locking memberextending from said first lock portion and a locking member receivingslot formed in said lock portion to receive said locking member when thecontainer is erected.
 12. The multisided collapsible unit of claim 7wherein includes a liquid impervious bag having an open end secured tosaid wall panels adjacent the edges of said wall panels which areopposite to said bottom panel means.
 13. A hexagonal containercomprising a unitary body erectable to form a locked bottom arrangementby application of oppositely directed compressive forces on the foldedges of said container when in a collapsed condition, said container,in its collapsed condition, including six wall panels hingedly connectedto form first and second front wall panels, first and second rear wallpanels, a first side wall panel connected between said first front andrear wall panels, and a second side wall panel connected between saidsecond front and rear wall panels, a bottom forming means including afirst tongue shaped bottom panel hingedly connected to said first sidewall panel, said first bottom panel being scored diagonally below itsmid portion, a second tongue shaped bottom panel hingedly connected tosaid second side wall panel, a portion of said second bottom panelsecured to a portion of said first bottom panel, a first lock portionwith a tongue-receiving slot, said first lock portion vertically scoreddown its middle and hingedly connected to said first and second frontwall panels, a second lock portion with a tongue, said second lockportion vertically scored down it middle and hingedly connected to saidfirst and second rear wall panels, said first and second lock portionsbeing dimensioned to overlap said secured bottom panels when saidcontainer is erected and actuated to lock said lock portions together, aliquid impervious bag interiorly placed in said container with the openend of said bag secured to the upper portions of said wall panels, a topsealing means whereby at least one score line is spaced across said wallpanels substantially parallel near the peripheral edges of the open topof said container, the portions of said wall panels above said scoreline being foldable over said score line to close said open top, wherebysaid folded over portions are secured by locking tabs hingedly mountedwithin said side wall panels when said locking tabs are swung up andinterlocked around said folded over portions.